Shopping for Camera Gear in Hong Kong

The following information are taken from: Bill Dickens

Shopping for cameras

Hong Kong is a great place to buy electronic goods - high turnover keeps prices low and the territory is tax and duty free. However there are a few things you should know before shopping.

The most important point: It is your responsibility to make sure the product is what you want, and that the price is fair. Once you have made a purchase - in most cases there is no possibility of return or exchange (unless the goods are faulty.) If you have been mislead (lied to) or pressured, then you should contact the Hong Kong Consumer Complaints Council immediately for assistance.
Cameras

1. DO NOT buy cameras in Tsim Sha Tsui with the exception of Tin Cheung Cameras which is in my recommended list, and perhaps Echo Photo & Audio which was recommended to me.
Many of the shops on Natham Rd in particular will pressure you into buying products you don't want, use bait and switch tactics, and outright lie and rip you off. There are several shops that are okay but you are not going to know which ones - so don't do it.

2. Do not buy from any shop that has "Duty Free" or Tax Free" in neon over the store entrance. This is misleading as all shops in Hong Kong are duty and tax free. The worst shops also often have "Sony" in neon over the shop entrance.

3. A list of recommended camera shops is provided at the bottom of this page. They have been around a long time and are favorites of Hong Kong photographers. I have personally bought camera gear from all these stores. They are very dependable companies.

4. Research before leaving home. Get an idea of features, models, and prices back home.

5. Don't expect sales staff to give technical advice on any particular model. Most stores are staffed by clerks, not photographers.

6. If buying a video camera make sure the video-out standard is compatible with your home country - PAL or NTSC.

7. Warranty is HK & China only. Ask if international warranty is available. However usually it's HK/China coverage only, in which case, if a fault develops, you either need to ship it back to HK for service, or get it repaired at home at your own cost.
Some stores sell parallel imports without warranty at a 5-10% discount.
With Japanese quality control you are unlikely to need warranty, although it's a risk you need to acknowledge.


8. Buy several days before leaving HK so you can check that everything is working as expected, and get it swapped at the store if it's not.

9. Don't be rushed into buying. There are plenty more stores selling exactly the same camera.

10. 2-3% extra for payment by credit card is normal. Before finalizing the price ask whether it's the same price using a credit card.

11. Negotiate any extras/accessories at the same time. Otherwise your hard-won bargain will be cancelled on the accessories. Make sure the quality of the accessories is to your satisfaction.

12. There is not much scope for bargaining at the good stores; their margins are already very low. You are unlikely to get discounts on cheap point-and-shoot cameras ( However if you are paying HK$12000+ for an expensive camera or lens, then you should bargain. If buying an SLR body / lens combination, then you should expect to get a reduced price compared to buying separates.

13. Some stores will bundle complimentary accessories. (Wing Shing Photo Supplies does this.) Consider declining these for a discount. These extras will be budget quality. i.e. Memory cards will be small capacity and about the slowest available. For some extra effort you could go to a computer mall close by and buy a better quality/larger memory card for the same price.

14. It is a normal practice in Hong Kong for the clerk to unpack the carton and show you all components that you are purchasing. This should happen before you give them your credit card. This also means that you cannot return later to the store and claim that something is missing from the carton.


Recommended camera stores

You should visit at least the following two places to compare prices.

Tin Cheung Camera

Location: Shop 5 Friends' House, 6B Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui station - exit D2 - over the road next to the 7-eleven.
Internet: http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/
Tel : (852) 2722 1265
Store hours : Sun: 12:00pm -6:00 pm, Mon-Sat: 11:00am-8:00pm

* Official import plus parallel import (therefore you have the option of HK/China warranty, or discounted without warranty.)
* Run by a photo enthusiast. As well as the usual digital and 35mm, there is a selection of medium format gear.
* Some stock kept on-site. Sometimes you might have to wait a few days for selected models.
* They also run a large-scale internet sale business.
* Tripods and other accessories upstairs.

Located in Tsim Sha Tsui. This the only store I recommend in this area.


Wing Shing Photo Supplies

There are two branches - both located in the busy shopping district of Mong Kok.

* Official import (therefore HK/China Warranty is included)
* Prices are good enough. Most popular and new models in stock
* Large sales volume - staff are primarily sales clerks and not photographers so don't ask for their opinion on cameras/features.

Shop Location 1: 55-57 Sai Yeung St., Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. (Original store)
MTR: Mong Kok station - exit D3 - 25m ahead over the road.








Shop Location 2: 91-95 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. (New store)
MTR: Mong Kok station - exit D3 - 2 blocks away from location 1 above on "sneaker street".

Other Camera Stores

Man Shing - 106 Tung Choi St., Mong Kok. I'm told it has the same owner as Wing Shing. Smaller store and product selection than Wing Shing, however I sometimes use them for accessories.

Fortress and Broadway - hundreds of branches all over Hong Kong - large electronics chain stores. Higher prices than Tin Cheung and Wing Shing above and the staff are relatively clueless about the products they are selling. The sales clerks in Broadway have some discretion to reduce prices. Fortress is fixed-price only.

Photo Scientific - Stanley Street in Central on Hong Kong Island. I have never used Photo Scientific although I've heard they are okay. If you are in Central then worthwhile checking out. However compare prices with Wing Shing and/or Tin Cheung before buying.

Echo Photo & Audio (phone: 2376-0478) at Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon close-by the HMV store. This was recommended to me by a HK photographer - however I have never shopped here myself. (However it's in Tsim Sha Tsui - so make sure you get the right store. As explained above there are some terrible camera shops in TST.)

Elizabeth Wahyu

Its been a while since I've been able to update my blog. Been swamped with family stuff, workshop stuff and, well, fun stuff. ^_^

One of the fun stuff has to do with photographing Elizabeth Wahyu, an Indonesian custom jewelry designer. I asked if I could play around with some stuff I learned at various workshops during her shoot and she willingly obliged (cos she likes to play too).

She had mentioned to me that one of the things she wanted was a good photograph for her website of her serious side; something of which no other photographer has ever shot her. I thought that was weird because she's a very beautiful woman.

Anyway, armed with a little Jerry Ghionis, Yervant, and yours truly, the following images are my favs.

Learning and Exploring in Melbourne

I'd just ended a week attending Jerry Ghionis' workshop in Melbourne. For those of you who don't know Jerry Ghionis, he is genius and just freakishly amazing with light, details, etc . . . just a true poet behind the lens.

Along with this overwhelmingly wonderful master photographer, I had the privilege to meet 22 brilliant photographers who attended the workshop. We bonded so quickly and I know that my path will cross with most of theirs and that makes me a happy person. Sigh. No words can describe my feelings in the last minutes of the workshop; needless to say, there were tears.

Here are some shots I shot with Jerry's directions.
























Here are some shots I shot by myself.

Hello Kitty Party

Josie has this thing for Hello Kittys. . . and this thing she had for Hello Kittys is in baaaad! She just turned 27 and threw this crazy Hello Kitty Bling Party. Well. . . take a look at the photos.

Where the Hell is Matt?

This is an amazing video. I wanna dance with Matt too.



Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Baby Grace

Check out her nose! and those CHEEKS!

A Warm Welcome to my niece

needs no additional words. . . she's darling!

Pretty Sona

Sona-bw-1425, originally uploaded by Aggie_Baby.

The original color was off due to poor lighting and lack of off-camera flash. No matter tho cos Sona's so pretty that B&W makes it all good. :-D

Fav pic from the S&A series

S&A-sitting-bw-1464, originally uploaded by Aggie_Baby.

Its not often I come across a photo that makes me feel proud. This is one of them. The end result is exactly what I wanted.

Almost caught up with my photos. FINALLY! I do want to sincerely apologize to those who have been waiting for their photos. Hopefully you'll receive them in the mail by the end of the month. . . crazy postal people.

XOXO

A Beautiful Bride

Here's a teaser of my beautiful cousin, Joanne, in her room. The bride is beautiful, the light is stunning, the ambience was sublime. . . and it is easily one of the best photographs I've ever shot. YEAY ME!

2 weeks of catching up

These last 2 weeks have been filled with events leading up to my cousin's wedding and then the party in Bali, with a maternity shoot in between, and a corporate shoot squeezed in there somewhere. I need an assistant. Or at least someone to tell me to either 1) don't take too many pictures, or 2) help me pick the best photos, or 3) massage my back.

But I'd never look back on my decision to dive into my passion. Can you believe Photography ranks even higher than Food on my list of priorities?

:) :) :)
Despite recent unfortunate events, I'm still so happy.

J&A Storyboards

I just FINALLY figured out how to make storyboards. Here are storyboards of my fav photos from Joanne & Arthur's Civil Ceremony. . . well, actually, these were taken when all the guests have gone home. . . and we were goofing around. :P Hmmm. . . too bad I can't get them to be a bit bigger.

Sangjit: The Day of Giving

Sang means give, Jit means day. . . For Chinese, Sangjit used to be the day when the dowry is received. These days, it becomes the day when the groom's family presents gifts to the bride and vice versa. My cousin, Joanne was glowing at her Sangjit. The fun and awesome idea of having everyone where Kebaya (traditional Peranakan clothing) created an ambience of color, fun, and unity.

Here's Joanne. . . this outfit is not a solo effort.











I love her buns!








My Aunty Anna & cousin Josie. . . looking lovely.











This is the bride giving me a demure look.











Even the doggy was dressed up!
























My little nieces has matching outfits.
So tough not to photograph a million shots of them.






































Yummy Indonesian food on a very Peranakan plate.

Eating in Hong Kong

If you've ever visited Hong Kong, you'll completely agree with me that the food there is phenomenal. The little noodle shop that sells wonton noodle soup has been in that little corner across Sogo has been there for over 30 years. . . the newly renovated BBQ restaurant where you can find the best pork chop veggie rice seats you wherever they can find a chair has been there for over 20 years. . . that new restaurant by that famous French chef is the talk of the town. . . and that wonderful steamboat place that's highly frequented by the mobsters and gangsters (its considered a neutral ground so no funny business there). I love Hong Kong. I love the busy, hip and happenings, the old and the new, the traditions and the modern. . . I love how you can find Broadway AND Chinese Opera on the same street and how most of the people speak at least 3 languages. If you've never been to Hong Kong, in this lifetime, you MUST.

I Love My Nieces

My nieces, Sofia and Brianna, are so cute. I could spend every second trying to capture every moment, every toothless grin, every smirk, every naptime. . . since I can't do that without driving my brother and sil irritated, I'll settle with my very frequent visits.
This visit was a first for both girls. Sofia just got some bunnies and was showing them to me for the first time. Brianna's first was her independently holding her own bottle. They are so precious. I LOVE my nieces.

Happy Vesak (Waisak) Day

Last week, I attended an event with my parents where a buddhist charity organization, Tzu Chi, hosted a Vesak Day celebration in honor of their Master. While it was a bit disorganized, I was so touched by their dedication and the lighting was so awesome I wanted to call Scott.